Those who did want to talk about it right away had a variety of things to say. Some merely said something like, "This is terrible." Others went on for paragraphs. "We found that when people had more to say, that predicted worse psychological function and worse physical health over time."
It could be that those who needed to talk about it were more deeply affected, he says, and would need more help in coping over a longer time. But it's also possible that being immediately asked to describe in detail what happened can add to the trauma. "If I go to a therapy session and people are telling me that I should want to talk about it, and I don't want to talk about it, and then I'm told that's an unhealthy response . . . well, that's one plausible route to creating harm," he says.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, July 31, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 66 words Type of Material: Correction
Tragedy's effects: In Monday's Health section, an article about the emotional aftermath of tragedy had an incorrect date for a study's publication. It said research published in the June issue of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology had shown that after a large-scale traumatic event, quickly talking about one's emotions isn't necessarily for the best. That study is scheduled to appear in the journal's August issue.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday, August 04, 2008 Home Edition Health Part F Page 8 Features Desk 2 inches; 68 words Type of Material: Correction
Tragedy's effects: In the July 28 Health section, an article about the emotional aftermath of tragedy had an incorrect date for a study's publication. It said research published in the June issue of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology had shown that after a large-scale traumatic event, quickly talking about one's emotions isn't necessarily for the best. That study is scheduled to appear in the journal's August issue.
If there are two kinds of people, those who want to talk and those who don't, then pushing the latter into talking might lock the trauma in memory, causing them to dwell on it. Those who don't feel a need to vent may be more resilient and have better coping skills, Seery says, and those who feel compelled to talk may be naturally more distressed by it and will continue to be deeply affected.
In any case, neither type should be asked to do what doesn't come naturally. "I come from a pretty stoic Kansas farm family," says Denver psychologist Shawn Smith. "I was taught to suck it up, and shown ways to do it, like humor. If somebody sat me down and made me relive it over and over again, or describe things in detail -- things that I'd heard and smelled -- I'd be going against what I was taught, and not equipped to do it."
Seery found that those who didn't want to talk about the trauma remained healthy, no doubt using a variety of coping skills -- spit-shining the house, working around the clock or heading to the shopping mall or golf course to get their minds off it. They may be doing more than distracting themselves. They may be putting pain on hold until they muster up more strength or gain perspective.
A concern about mental health overreaction led a group of 19 psychologists to pen a letter to the American Psychological Assn. after the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks. "In times like these, it is imperative that we refrain from the urge to intervene in ways that -- however well-intentioned -- have the potential to make matters worse. . . . Psychologists can be of most help by supporting the community structures that people naturally call upon in times of grief and suffering. Let us do whatever we can, while being careful not to get in the way," they wrote.
